


Side:Sentimental - Message in a Bottle

by Mitsuboshi



Category: THE iDOLM@STER, The iDOLM@STER Sidem
Genre: Gen, SideM Secret Santa 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 09:45:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17241977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mitsuboshi/pseuds/Mitsuboshi
Summary: Just what is your story?





	Side:Sentimental - Message in a Bottle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nerav](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerav/gifts).



> Part 2 of my gift to nerav for SideM secret santa. Honestly I've been agonizing over this and keep revising it because I was very invested with this idea, but being busy during the holidays limited my time. I want to go back and refine this idea more, but I hope you enjoy!

It wasn’t easy to write a message. Especially if you weren’t writing to _anyone_ in particular. That was the sort of conundrum Chris Koron faced, his brow furrowing as he looked down at a blank piece of paper. The vast space felt daunting, like staring out at an infinite horizon. He tapped his pen lightly on the table; his thoughts among a raging storm as he tried to navigate his course. Still, the port called ‘answer’ was yet to be seen.

“Want me to make some tea?”

Chris was alerted to a familiar voice. Turning his head, he caught Amehiko approaching from behind.

“Why yes,” Chris said happily. “It might be what I need.”

It was getting late at Chris’ residence. Outside the snow drifted gently to the ground, and didn’t seem like it would let up. Fortunately for him, Amehiko offered to keep him company while he attempted to write out his message. Having him around put the ocean-minded man at ease, especially on a cold winter night like this.

“So, manage to think of something yet?” Amehiko asked as he started boiling some water in the kitchen.

“A shame to say that I haven’t been able to get a single thing written,” he admitted. “It’s unfortunate that Sora wasn't able to make it tonight. His flow with words would have been a big help.”

“Heh,” Amehiko chuckled. “I'm sure Kitamura would have this thing finished up in no time. Why don't you message him for advice? I'm sure he'll find time to answer.”

Chris shook his head. “Oh no, I wouldn't want to bother him while he's busy with Tsukumo-san. Besides, this is something I want to try on my own.”

Amehiko simply shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

A few minutes later, and he came back to the table with two steaming cups of tea in his hands. He gave Chris his cup, glancing to find his paper still blank. After sitting at the opposite end of the table, Amehiko took a sip of his tea, observing his unit member silently as he furrowed his brows. It didn't look like it, but there was much more going on in that man’s head. Still seeing their lack of progress, Amehiko opened his mouth to say something.

“You don’t really have to do this, you know.”

Chris simply remarked: “Perhaps so... but still.”

It all began one summer's day, when Chris was taking a dive in the ocean. As he floated on the calm waters, letting the sun shine on his body, a bottle had drifted towards him. Messages in a bottle seemed like something out fiction, and the likelihood of ever encountering one in the vast ocean remained tiny. And yet, fate had bestowed upon him this encounter. Whoever wrote it was a mystery, yet they left behind an interesting set of instructions.

It started out as such:

 

_Hello to whoever finds this. The world is small, but still big enough for this message to be hidden among the drifting waves. There is nothing important written here. No map to treasure island. All that’s here is a fraction of my story._

 

The rest of the letter went into a little more detail. This person had traveled and sailed all over the Pacific. Visited different places, and met various people along the way. They didn’t go deep into detail on all of this (the paper could only contain so many words), but Chris couldn’t help but marvel at this traveler’s feats. They didn’t say who they were, or where they came from, but the fact that the whole letter was written in English at least told them that they might have originated from an English-speaking country. Whatever the origins, this person wrote down a particular request.

 

_With all that said and done, I encourage whoever find this to write your own message. Maybe tell your own story, or give some advice, and send it out to sea in the same bottle. Maybe it's just old fashion sentimentality, but it's my hope that our messages connect from people to people. The chances for another to find it might be slim, but please consider this old man’s wish._

_Thank you,_

_-S_

 

After he had finished reading it, Chris wasn’t just simply impressed. This tapped into something much deeper. A profound sense of wonder, inspiration, and reverence all rolled into one, undefined emotion. He felt the powerful potential of humanity, the ripples and waves that a singular event brought forth and carried to others. After reading this message, how could he _not_ honor his request and leave his own mark on the ocean? He felt inspired afterwards to get writing.

And yet... in spite of all that, he wasn't able to fulfill that task immediately.

A lot of it had to do with his job as an idol. All the training and jobs didn’t leave a lot of free time to get on it. But the days turned into weeks, and then months as summer became fall, then fall into winter. And throughout that time, he would look at the bottle and remembered his self-imposed duty, and forced himself to sit down and compose his message. Hoping to release it before the end of the new year.

To his mild frustration, this was easier said than done.

“You know, it’s funny,” Amehiko began, breaking Chris from his thoughts.

“What is it?”

“You never seem to run out of things to say when talking about that ocean you cherish so much,” the former janitor noted. “So seeing you struggle with finding the right words... just doesn’t seem like yourself.”

Chris sighed to himself, lightly curling his finger over his pen. “Unfortunately, it’s different. Many a book has been written about the ocean’s wonders. But to compress how I feel on a single piece of paper is more challenging. Not only that...”

Amehiko raised a brow. “But what?”

“This kind of message,” Chris’ voice started to become a little soft. “Has more to do with _me_ than the ocean itself.”

His love of the ocean was an obvious subject to write. And all the research he had gathered over the years gave him a wealth of material too. Were it so easy, he wouldn’t have been sitting here struggling to get anything written. He shouldn’t have felt this way. It was supposed to be an inspiring exercise. Except that the more he thought about the message contained in that bottle, the more daunting it became.

Just what meaningful message could he write? Compared to the author of the original message, he just scratched past a quarter of his life. He didn't have the decades of experiences they shared. Or been to as many places as them. Any personal achievements he had seemed small in comparison. What grand exploits could he recall, or wisdom could he impart, that would connect to the next person who read his message? The question was slowly drawing him in like a whirlpool, even as he attempted with all his might to swim away from its peril.

“I see,” Amehiko said thoughtfully. He focused his sights on the uncertainty that marked Chris’ face. “Is that what’s really behind your troubles?”

“I know you might think it’s silly,” Chris began. “But... a message that can be passed on to a new set of hands. Unlike that man’s story, will what I write... be worthy enough?”

What if he couldn’t live up to the author’s intentions? They would never know that he came across the bottle. There would be nothing to lose by not writing anything. Yet Chris could almost _feel_ as if the author was looming over him. Watching. Waiting. And not just him. The whole world, too. Maybe not the billions of people living on it, but the planet itself. Its eyes all on him to deliver his message.

As Chris kept silent, Amehiko sat up from the table and went beside his struggling friend, looking over the piece of paper that still waited to be written on. “What’s wrong with telling the story of Chris Koron?”

Chris turned to him, confused by such a question. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you say you want to write something worthy,” Amehiko continued. “Is your own life not a worthy feat to talk about?”

Amehiko’s words were always clear and resolute, yet they carried a calming reassurance. Something that Chris always admired about the peculiar man. “My story... do you really think that sort of message will resonate with others?”

“Why not? You've accomplished many things as an idol.” Amehiko placed a hand on Chris’ shoulder, causing the latter to look over to him. The cleaner's sharp eyes gazed at him intently, filled with confidence in what he was saying. “Just think about it. Isn't that something to be proud of?”

Soon, a flood of memories rushed into Chris’ mind. Reaching for a business card presented to him, sitting among strangers during his audition, making the cut with both Sora and Amehiko to become the unit Legenders. The difficult training, the pulse-pounding lives, and the cheers from the crowd after a wonderful performance. They only were at it for just two years now, yet they accomplished so much.

As he processed all this, a feeling of realization slowly started coming to light. To spread the charms of the ocean was a goal he set out on achieving, and his experiences as an idol had brought him to new places; taught him new things. Most important of all however, was that his story as an idol was not just his story alone.

“Of course!” Chris said aloud, his indecision was replaced by a sense of awe. “Our journey as idols! How could I not realize it before!?”

“You see? You were just overthinking it,” Amehiko said with a grin. Seeing that characteristic passion flare up again made him breath easier. “Think you know where to start now?”

“How about...” He fell silent again, but not because of any doubt or hesitation. This time, he knew what course to chart. And who to chart it with. “Let's start at the beginning!”

“You mean when we all first met? Heh, go ahead.”

While Amehiko made his remark, Chris had begun to write down his first few words, not pausing for a second as he laid bare his feelings. Not everything would be recorded; only the essentials condensed into a comprehensive summary. But it would carry his current hopes and dreams well beyond in time. And while that chapter would be preserved in that bottle, just waiting to be discovered, the story of Chris Koron and Legenders would continue to be written.


End file.
